Posts Tagged ‘santosha’

The Yogic Art of Living

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

PadmasanaBy Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Why do so many people practice Yoga? Why do students want to become Yoga teachers? What is the attraction to the Yogic path, which bonds so many people from around the world? Is the Yogic way a science or an art? Let’s look at these issues closely, to unveil a timeless art of living, within Yoga practice.

There is a saying: “You can’t have it all.” Some of us want four assets of life all at once. These four assets are: friends, love, unlimited money, and good health. If you could choose only one asset, which would you choose first?

What if you only had one out of these four assets for life? Would you make the most of it or would you dwell on what you did not possess? You already know the correct answer, yet so many people spend their lives thinking about what they do not have.

“Happiness” and “purpose” are only words if we do not recognize their value. Our ability to become happy, and to find our life purpose, is within each of us. The Niyama “Santosha,” teaches us to see happiness in the present moment. We do not have to wait until we have one hundred friends or one million dollars to be happy.

Finding an ethical life purpose, that is righteous and moral, brings about states of happiness, bliss, and joy. Santosha is much more than a passive state of mind. If one has a trained mind, Santosha can help free one from pain or pleasure. Many people do not see that both pain and pleasure can be traps.

True happiness is often fueled by inspiration. A life filled with inspiration is a “treasure chest.” This is humanity’s real attraction to all forms of Yoga. This is why many millions of people practice Yoga worldwide. Daily practice creates a positive mindset, which makes the Yogic path a very attractive one.

Is the Yogic way a science or an art? In fact, it is both a science and an art of living. The health aspects of Yoga evolved through thousands of years of testing, research, and documentation. There are many physical and mental arts within Yoga, but let’s look at one.

It is not an easy task to remove excessive desire and suffering from one’s consciousness. We know excessive desire and suffering cause us grief. Yet, after years of Yoga practice, a student’s mind begins to change. Except for a few rare people, it takes years for most of us to train our minds.

The real test is when we face others with love, compassion, and respect. We expect to receive mutual respect, but we may receive scorn. The art is in controlling the mind during difficult daily situations.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Practice Yoga and Embrace Stress

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

sukasanaBy Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Of all the concepts you will ever learn in a Yoga class, stress management workshop, or a combination of both, embracing stress seems to be the most difficult. Yet, we can improve our lives exponentially by accepting stress as a friend.

If you have learned how to cope with stress through pranayama (Yogic breathing techniques), asana (Yoga postures), exercises, meditation, relaxation, affirmations, and many more techniques, you have all of the tools to peacefully co-exist with stressful situations, which arise during the course of a day.

You may understand Santosha (contentment and acceptance), but you are still puzzled by this idea of embracing stress, because you see stress as an enemy of good health. It is true that excessive or chronic stress is the cause of many ailments, diseases, and death, so how can I ask you to embrace it?

Once you have managed to reduce your stress levels, with Yoga’s stress management techniques, you have taken a positive step toward good health. At this point, take a closer look at stress to see it for what it really is. Stress is a destroyer of health, but it can also be the creator of innovation.

You see, some of us need manageable amounts of stress for optimum performance in life. For some people stress is “life force.” In Yoga, we think of prana as life force, but for those who never heard of prana, stress is a driving force that sends people toward success or failure.

Without stress, there would be no excitement in life. People line up for coffee to experience a caffeine jolt, just to get a taste of manageable stress. In Hatha Yoga, we often perform Sun Salutations, in the morning, to get the blood pumping; but we also take our minds and bodies to manageable stress levels in the process.

As a result of observing the benefits of moderate stimulation to the body and mind, please try to view stress as a “spice of life.” Too much stress puts your health at risk and can damage your vital organs. On the other hand, if life has no challenges, it becomes a very dull experience. The answer is a moderate lifestyle.

We really have no choice, if we want to live the best quality life. Extremes, of all kinds, tend to prematurely age us. Yogic philosophy is founded upon moderation in one’s lifestyle. There should never be extremes in the Yogic diet, asana, pranayama, or anything else.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Yoga for Happiness – Santosha for Successful Relationships

Thursday, December 25th, 2008

Yoga - Tree PoseBy Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

How can Yoga help someone with establishing and maintaining good relationships? Successful relationships require mutual effort from both sides. Whether a relationship is with someone at work, at home, or with a friend, there is a need to maintain a stable connection. If there is an emotional connection, such as love or romance, this can be complicated, but Santosha can still be applied.

What is Santosha? In the Yoga Sutras, Santosha is one of the listed Niyamas (moral observances). The Niyamas could easily be identified as virtues. Within the Yoga Sutras, Maharishi Patanjali reveals Santosha and its value in daily life.

Santosha is often described as a state of contentment. If you can maintain a state of contentment, you can find happiness, and you can remain happier for longer periods of time. We should be pro-active in our cultivation of contentment, in order to release the mind from the burdens of pain.

Yet, how does this apply toward cultivating successful and healthy relationships? Practice complete acceptance of friends, co-workers, associates, and family members. In other words: Accept each individual for who he, or she, is, without pre-conditions.

Do not hold anyone to your expectations. To accept people for who they are is extremely difficult for some people. Relationships often fail because of pre-conceived expectations. Many people go out on a “first date” with a pre-qualifying list of requirements for a prospective partner to fulfill.

While it is true that each of us has expectations in regard to the pursuit of a “soul mate,” it is also true that you cannot change people to suit your requirements. This concept applies to every relationship we have. You can choose your spouse and friendships carefully, but you must accept what you cannot control.

A passive state of mind will also help cultivate your work, business, and family relationships. Patanjali points us toward the appreciation of life’s difficulties. It is easy to embrace joy, happiness, and bliss. On the other hand, life can be full of suffering, pain, and sorrow.

Santosha teaches each of us to accept and learn from the difficult experiences we will encounter in life. Know that life will change, and we should be happy with what we have at this moment. When we stop the outer world from affecting our inner-being, we have found true happiness.

It is hard to believe that one Niyama can be so valuable, but contentment, and the resulting states of happiness, will serve a Yoga practitioner like a flashlight down a dark path. Light gives us vision and focus. With the help of Santosha, a dark path that we were once lost on, can become an adventurous journey.

Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Yoga Teacher Certification Correspondence Courses
FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos.
Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”
—————————
On-Site Yoga Training: http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com
—————————
FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles) – Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste, Paul
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